Graphic Making tutorials

So we all have a lot of banner requests, but some are never answered. So here's a place to learn how to make an assortment of graphics, from banners, blends and icons. This comes with an index, and if you want to submit your tutorial, pm me the link to where you posted it, and if the tutorial you are making is not included, pm me and I will add it to the list.

1) We're going to start by opening a new document, start by opening Gimp and press ctrl +n. Make the dimensions 500 x 150. After that, click the fill bucket and fill the background with black. If you don't have gimp, download it at the site (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post where to download it, as some sites don't allow it. But just google Gimp, and it'll lead you to the official site. It's free, too!)

2) We're going to be using images from this site. You can choose any pictures you want. But since this is a beginner's tutorial, choose two pictures to blend. Once you've chosen two, save them to your computer.

3) Go back to your Gimp browser and press ctrl + alt +o and select your pictures. Place the images wherever you want them to be. Once you've got the composition of the pictures where you want them, take the flip tool and flip one of the pictures (preferably the one on the left) and then flip it again. By doing this, it creates a layer mask, so that when you erase it, it erases the background.

4) Click the eraser tool. You have many options, but I like to use soft brushes. To make a soft brush, press ctrl + shift + b, which opens up the brush selection dialogue box. At the bottom, there's an icon, choose the one with the pencil in it (if you hover over it, it reads Edit Brush). Make the radius whatever size you want, you can choose any setting you'd like, but set the hardness to 0.00. Then you can close the dialogue box, and start erasing the unwanted parts of the picture you don't want.

5) After that, right click on the top picture on your layer box, (if it's not showing up, press ctrl + L) and click flatten image. After that, press ctrl + shift + n, press enter, and then on the toolbox, select the gradient tool. Drag from the bottom of the picture to the top. On the layer's panel, choose multiply for the mode. You can choose the opacity (which determines how dark the picture will be.)

6) use this texture (credit to Uferlos) and then press ctrl + alt +o. select the picture, and go to colors >> desaturate. After that, drag the picture so that only a little is showing. Set the mode to lighten.

7) Add Text! I used Day Roman. And that's it, so save it and upload to photobucket or tinypic. if you've got any questions, just ask on this thread! And make sure when you save, save it as a png, but adding .png to the end.

1) First, we're going to open a 450x150 graphic. Take your Milo1 photo and post it mostly to the right, so that the black border is just hidden. Take the Milo2 photo and place is so that only Milo1's shoulder is showing.

2) Click on the Milo1 layer. Adjustment layer--levels OK. Click Milo2 layer and press ctrl + g.. Click back on the layer mask and make a gradient. Erase so that the two Milo pictures are blended together.

@Silk Tea: Really? I would probably faint if I met him! Was he nice? Awesome tut, by the way :)

@JustALittleGirl: No, as far as I know it doesn't. As for making computers slow, I don't think it does, but I guess it depends on how much capacity your computer can take, like how many gb it is. But I'm sure it'll work fine.

This is my try on the Gimp tutorial.I didn't do exactly what you said, I made the texture a floating layer and anchored it to the gradient layer so it was on multiply. I just liked the way it turned out better than the other way.And I added my text in PhotoFiltre.I have Gimp 2.0 (which I had no idea how to use, so this tutorial really helped me), Photoshop CS4, and Photofiltre Studio X (it supports layers and has way more stuff in it).

Haha I epically failed. I don't really use gimp and I was so confused. But I ended up learning a lot and decided to blend three pictures, did some coloring and add a bush. Hope it doesn't look that bad. haha.

1) Start by opening up a new canvas, and make it 500 by 150. Open up This image (feel free to use your own picture). I placed it on the left side of the canvas.

2) I take a soft brush and erase part of the image. How much is up to you.

3) Then I take This and I scaled it down a bit (scale to your liking) and place it on the right side of the canvas.

4) I flattened the image, then go to filters >> enchance >> sharpen. You decide how much you want to sharpen the image.

5) Then go to colors >> hue/saturation, and let's make the saturation up to 24 (more or less if you'd like). Now go to colors >> channel mixer.

OUTPUT CHANNEL: REDRed: 149.6Green: -43.0Blue:-43.0

OUTPUT CHANNEL: GREENred:-1.5green: 100.0blue: -7.4

OUTPUT CHANNEL: BLUEred: -1.5green: -4.4blue: 100.0

6) Then go to colors >> color curves

for the Channel Value, make the first point (x: 98, y: 68) the next point should be (159, 171)after that, go to colors >> color balance. Click midtones.

CYAN: 75MAGENTA: 0YELLOW: -55

7) Make a new layer (ctrl + shift + n) and select the gradient tool. Start from the bottom up, then set it to lighten only at 73.3% flatten the image, and then make another gradient layer, start from bottom up, and make it 35.6 % at multiply.

8) if you want, make a new layer, select the fill tool, and fill the new layer with white. Set it to soft light at 33.7 %

9) go to color curves again.

CHANNEL VALUE:(118, 78) (184, 180)

CHANNEL RED:(67, 93) (165, 155)

CHANNEL BLUE:(78, 62) (162, 171)

10) So you notice the parts that weren't blended so well in the middle? Well, don't worry, we're going to cover that up with our character images. So select your images, I chose this picture of matt lanter, and this image of jessica stroup. Blend them together, and that's it! Feel free to add text if you'd like. And for the texture, refer to my first tutorial, where the texture is linked to. I desaturated it and then set it to lighten.

Photofiltre is a free program download that has no viruses. If you are looking for a very easy program then I'd go for Photofiltre. If you would like to download it, go onto Google and just type in "Photofiltre" and it should be the first link.

(2) Next open the two pictures I told you to save. Now, copy and paste the first picture onto the canvas and move it so Kristen's arm is almost touching the end of the left side. (Make sure to double click on the 'show selection' tool next to the 'text' tool.

(3) Go to Edit>> Define Pattern

(4) Now copy and past the second photo onto the canvas. Slightly overlap that picture over the first picture.

(5) Next click on the 'clone stamp' tool that's located over to your right. Make sure the radius is 100 (opacity is 100 as well) and click on the word Pattern. Now erase away the unwanted background that's overlapping the first photo. If you want to tighty things up a bit, play around with the radius/opacity, but what I usually do is just change the radius to 10.

(6) Now click on the gradient tool that's at the top, (blue colored) and make sure the first color is black set at 50% opacity and the second color is white at 10% opacity oh and click on bottom to top.

(7) Now click on the contrast tool once. (It looks like a circle where one half is white and the other black.)

(8) Adjust>> Brightness/Contrast

Brightness (-14%)Contrast (31%)Channel: (yellow)

(9) Contrast twice // Gamma Correct once (Looks like half a T)

(10) Now you are done! If you want to add text you can, I used the font "Celine Dion Handwriting" and I used this mask.

HOW TO USE MASK: All you have to do is copy that picture, go up to Edit>>Paste Special>> Mask and now it should be on the banner! Feel free to change the color mask to whatever.